Custom Dummy

[PiedmontChun]

Very very nice fella Looks very pretty and well made. Testament to you're skills which must wood working there? What process of lamination did you use. Glue some material on top? Heavy varnish?

Thanks. I have a bit of experience otherwise I would not have taken this on in the first place; it was an adventure to say the least, as I never glue up or shape anything this big in my normal woodworking.

After a lot of sanding, up to about 320 grit with a palm sander, it got a Minwax Gunstock stain, followed by some spraycan lacquer, then the gloss knocked down with some steel wool for a more stain look. I like lacquer and use it on other stuff so I always have it around, but it is some nasty stuff for your lungs; a respirator is def needed when applying it. You could use a wipe of polyurethane just the same.

 

[PiedmontChun]

Oops, sorry. I'm having trouble editing posts. Forgot to mention the body was glued up with Titebond II glue. Due to its size, I couldnt clamp like normal. I glued up the body in two halves, 3 layers each, ;aid on side with heavy stones to apply pressure while glue cured. The channels for the arms (angled for the upper arms) were cut by hacksaw and circular saw, then the two halves glues together, heavy stones again instead of clamps.

The leg and arms I was able to clamp very tight while gluing up.

 

[Transk53]

Thanks. I have a bit of experience otherwise I would not have taken this on in the first place; it was an adventure to say the least, as I never glue up or shape anything this big in my normal woodworking.

After a lot of sanding, up to about 320 grit with a palm sander, it got a Minwax Gunstock stain, followed by some spraycan lacquer, then the gloss knocked down with some steel wool for a more stain look. I like lacquer and use it on other stuff so I always have it around, but it is some nasty stuff for your lungs; a respirator is def needed when applying it. You could use a wipe of polyurethane just the same.

Oh of course I forgot about lacquer. Yeah I with the horrid stuff many moons ago. A bit of joinery with doors and windows. I will keep the above in mind. Thanks for the post

 

[KPM]

Thanks Keith. I have been thinking about pine myself. The one thing I am wondering is if I would necessarily need the leg. Well, at least this current juncture.

No. I don't think you necessarily need the leg. And it is the hardest part to make yourself!

 

[Transk53]

No. I don't think you necessarily need the leg. And it is the hardest part to make yourself!

Yeah. May well have to cater for a custom or commercial part for that. Be in March before I can consider it, but thought the local college may let me procure a lave perhaps. Either that or I advertise for some to round out the main body.

 

[PiedmontChun]

I do like having the leg. Even though my student level involves little to no dummy training, we do practice the plum blossom footwork and it makes so much more sense to do this on the dummy, moving in and around the leg than it does to do it on marks on the ground, plus you can combine strikes. Just one example.

 

[Transk53]

I do like having the leg. Even though my student level involves little to no dummy training, we do practice the plum blossom footwork and it makes so much more sense to do this on the dummy, moving in and around the leg than it does to do it on marks on the ground, plus you can combine strikes. Just one example.

Okay interesting reply I have only really very briefly delved into the forms, don't want to confuse myself if I can help it. Still though, what you posted makes a lot of sense to me regardless. Going to look a little deeper into this

 

[Pat M]

I have made many dummies over the years.

I recently restored this dummy for my Wing Chun sister. The whole construction is hardwood. It had been in the weather for years.

before:

This is the first dummy i made for my wife in 2002:

With the restored one next to it. Keeping each other company.

I just use pine logs for the trunk as they are easy to get and work. Hard wood for everything else. Had always got legs made however found an amazing piece of fallen timber for my wife's dummy in the last photo.

 

[PiedmontChun]

I have made many dummies over the years.
View attachment 19175
I recently restored this dummy for my Wing Chun sister. The whole construction is hardwood. It had been in the weather for years.

before:
View attachment 19176

This is the first dummy i made for my wife in 2002:
View attachment 19177
View attachment 19178
With the restored one next to it. Keeping each other company.

I just use pine logs for the trunk as they are easy to get and work. Hard wood for everything else. Had always got legs made however found an amazing piece of fallen timber for my wife's dummy in the last photo.

These are good looking dummies! For solid logs, I am surprised to not see cracks from drying out and if from Pine like you say, they look like they certainly took stain beautifully. Most pine is splotchy when stained, and often not attractive.

 

[Transk53]

I have made many dummies over the years.
View attachment 19175
I recently restored this dummy for my Wing Chun sister. The whole construction is hardwood. It had been in the weather for years.

before:
View attachment 19176

This is the first dummy i made for my wife in 2002:
View attachment 19177
View attachment 19178
With the restored one next to it. Keeping each other company.

I just use pine logs for the trunk as they are easy to get and work. Hard wood for everything else. Had always got legs made however found an amazing piece of fallen timber for my wife's dummy in the last photo.

Yeah nice

 

[KPM]

Nice work Pat! One question....what are those two things hanging from the slats of your wife's dummy?

 

[Pat M]

These are good looking dummies! For solid logs, I am surprised to not see cracks from drying out and if from Pine like you say, they look like they certainly took stain beautifully. Most pine is splotchy when stained, and often not attractive.

Yep always use stain as pine is such a light colour. I think there was five coats of varnish used when I restored Antonella's dummy. You can't use enough varnish.

 

[Pat M]

Nice work Pat! One question....what are those two things hanging from the slats of your wife's dummy?

Good pick up, as we have in the last six months changed from loosely an Ip Chun lineage club to a TWC "William Cheung" lineage school we have been learning stacks of applications, something that I have not done since Mantis Kung Fu. Those things hanging from the rails are arm extentions so when we don't have time to train together you can whack the extentions on the dummy for application training.

It has helped a lot making the transition back to repetition application training but now our brains have adjusted don't use them much anymore. Plus to be honest once you start complex traps of course only a "live" training partner will do. It does though complement what you can use the dummy for as the extentions allow techniques bellow the elbow.

 

[Danny T]

Always thought of the dummy arms as an 'either / or' tool.
Either the right arm, the left arm, both or a single arm. That the arm was an upper arm and or a forearm. Upper arm shoulder to elbow and/or the forearm elbow to wrist.

 

[Transk53]

You guys know of a very good book on this. Or maybe a good web source for visual aids like a sequence of pictures. Greatest respect for all you and the knowledge you posses. Of course though I am pretty clueless. Some help appreciated so I can follow my threads answers with a bit more clarity

 

[Pat M]

Always thought of the dummy arms as an 'either / or' tool.
Either the right arm, the left arm, both or a single arm. That the arm was an upper arm and or a forearm. Upper arm shoulder to elbow and/or the forearm elbow to wrist.

Hey Danny, thanks for your most intelligent comment, I agree whole heartedly as I was under no misconception that a wing chun wooden dummy was based on a one legged man with 3 stumpy arms.

However if you have no training partner and you wish to work on applications that require the full length of the arm these little guys fit the bill.

 

[Danny T]

Hey Danny, thanks for your most intelligent comment, I agree whole heartedly as I was under no misconception that a wing chun wooden dummy was based on a one legged man with 3 stumpy arms.

However if you have no training partner and you wish to work on applications that require the full length of the arm these little guys fit the bill.

Cool.

 

[futsaowingchun]

Has anybody around here made your own dummy. If so, how did you style it. Pretty, or ugly as sin but functional. What sort of wood did you use?

I made a dummy out of a fallen telephone pole. It did not work out well,but I was young and stupid.

 

[Danny T]

I made a dummy out of a fallen telephone pole. It did not work out well,but I was young and stupid.

The creosote must have been terrible.
"...young and stupid." - Just to make you feel better, in spite of no longer been young I still do a stupid thing or two from time to time.

 

[Transk53]

To make you both feel better, when I screw up, tends to be of galactic proportions A telephone pole sounds like it would be quite sturdy. I guess once stripped back and the accoutrements removed. Someone has also suggested the railway sleeper as from above. In the UK though, Costain tend to create those out of concrete these days and I am no Tong Po!